In Romania, approximately 20% of pregnant women do not see a doctor until the moment of birth, and a fairly large percentage of pregnant women have incomplete prenatal care, so maternal mortality in Romania is more than double the European average, warns Dr. Luiza Maria Guzgă, specialist in obstetrics-gynecology and maternal-fetal medicine, at the Femme Boutique Medical clinic.
The research carried out by Unicef and the World Bank reveals, according to Dr. Luiza Maria Guzgă, that Romania ranks 2nd in Europe in terms of the percentage of underage pregnant women, in 2019, with 10% of the children born here coming from teenage mothers.
“The ideal follow-up situation for a pregnant woman starts together with the family doctor from the first weeks of pregnancy. A pregnant woman should visit the doctor 6-8 times during pregnancy for a minimum of investigations and analyses. In this way, high-risk pregnant women will be detected and selected for more detailed investigations”, emphasizes Dr. Luiza Maria Guzgă, specialist in obstetrics-gynecology and maternal-fetal medicine, who was part of the team of the most well-known name in maternal-fetal medicine, considered the father of this discipline, Professor Kypros Nicolaides, at Kings College Hospital in London.
The necessary ultrasounds during pregnancy, according to Dr. Ruxandra Albu, obstetrician-gynecology primary physician at Femme Boutique Medical and doctor of medical sciences, are:
1. After the positive test – an important ultrasound to rule out an ectopic pregnancy
2. 11-13 weeks and 6 days – screening for chromosomal abnormalities and pregnancy complications along with a set of usual blood tests
3. Morphology of the 2nd trimester to detect fetal malformations
4. 28 weeks – another set of specific blood tests
5. 32-36 weeks – 3rd trimester morphology
6. In the last trimester, visits to the doctor should be made monthly to assess blood pressure and to discuss the questions, peculiarities and fears that any pregnant woman has
7. A set of blood tests before birth
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After studying and using the most advanced medical equipment developed for pregnant women, Dr. Luiza Maria Guzgă hopes that every mother-to-be in Romania will have access, also in the state medical system, to all the absolutely mandatory investigations during pregnancy: “You must developed a system to ensure easy access to all pregnant women, especially those from underprivileged areas, to complete, efficient and free prenatal care. There is no national health information strategy about the importance of pregnancy follow-up. Hospitals are not equipped with high-risk pregnancy follow-up centers and there are no doctors well trained in fetal medicine, especially in small towns. I hope that soon, the Romanian state will understand the need for mandatory and free screening for chromosomal abnormalities in the first trimester of pregnancy and invest in the training of Romanian doctors, here in Romania,” adds Dr. Luiza Maria Guzgă
